Do you like VLC on your iPhone or iPad? You don't yet have it installed, but want to? Well, then you'd better be quick about it, as some VLC contributors are unhappy with the fact that VLC is distributed through Apple's App Store, violating the GPL the video player is licensed under. At least, that's what some think.

"In this case the spirit of the GPL is, I believe, upheld. The source code is available and you can get to it from the application itself.

No it isn't.

The spirit of the GPL license is that when one party (e.g. the App Store) receives the code under GPL terms, if that party wishes to re-distribute the code (as is the very function of the App Store), then downstream recipients must receive the code under the exact same terms and conditions that the first party received it under.

This is only fair, after all. The same rights for everyone, even if they happen to be iPhone or iPad users.

No added restrictions, no extra ifs, buts or maybes.

If the App Store is unable to pass the code on to downstream recipients under the exact same terms and conditions as the App Store received the code, then under the license for that code the App Store has NO permission to pass it on at all.

Under copyright law, a party is required to get permission (in the form of a license) in order to pass on code to downstream recipients. The App Store doesn't have that permission, it has no license. "

The source code is available, so per GPL v2, all of the conditions for redistribution have been met.